An Error in Judgment
by xXKanpekiXx
Summary: Zoro and Luffy start to get close in an unusual way, but it leads to a possibly devastating mistake.
1. Chapter 1: Picking at Bandages

**Error in Judgment**

**Rating: M**

**Pairing: Zoro/Luffy (maybe others sprinkled throughout)**

Hello, all. This is my first time posting in the One Piece category. I wanted to skip straight to the hot pirate on pirate action, but somehow, my horrible writing skills are making me slow down.

This is for my friend. We are both upset about the lack of LuffyXZoro work, so I decided to work on changing that in my spare time. Hopefully, I will post at least once a week, if not close to that, because I'm trying to write an hour a day.

Without further ado, please enjoy.

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**Chapter One: Picking at Bandages**

Luffy sat on the deck of the Thousand Sunny picking at his freshly applied gauze. He was certainly no stranger to bandages, but the healing ointment freshly developed by their friendly neighborhood reindeer was particularly itchy. Seeing as his crew grew to understand that anything less than a life threatening injury would leave Luffy bedridden and weak (and even then, he was a ball of energy), their carefree captain became the ship's guinea pig. He squirmed uncomfortably, scooting his backside across the deck as though he were some sort of straw-hatted puppy. It was within the first five minutes after his treatment, so he had yet to abandon doctor's orders. While he was puttering around aimlessly, Luffy's first mate watched him from the crow's nest. He absentmindedly lifted an impossibly heavy weight with his right arm while he monitored his captain.

Much like his cheerier counterpart, Zoro was perhaps more familiar with medical bandages than he should have been. He understood the itching agony his captain suffered, all too well, in fact, as he and Luffy tended to rotate being scientific experimentees. Honestly, the captain and the first mate spent more time in gauze rolls and band-aids than free-skinned. So much so that sometimes, they forgot they had limits. Forgot the other had limits.

It was hard. Remembering that Luffy was mortal. The raven haired teenager was as lively and energetic as he was rubbery. In the beginning, fighting alongside the rubber man was almost impossible to get used to. The former bounty hunter wasn't expecting someone aside from himself to overcome potentially crippling injuries in combat. For the first time, Zoro had an overwhelming strength that he could believe in more than his own. However, this posed a danger. He easily forgot that Luffy could die, like everyone else. He was forced to remind himself every time he heard an unexpected splash or a strangled cry. Although his brute strength and dumb luck had yet to meet their match, Zoro knew the second that changed, he could lose everything. So with this knowledge, he ended up caring for his captain more than he cared for himself.

He kept a sharp eye on the still-scooting boy as he switched arms. Contrary to his usually unobservant and apathetic demeanor, he allowed himself to secretly babysit. For safety reasons and safety reasons only. The dumbbell hit the ground with a resounding thud as Luffy scooted a little too close to the railing for Zoro's comfort. His worries were assuaged when a panicked Chopper raced to keep the bouncy teen in line. Zoro, still slick from his interrupted workout, took a moment to towel off.

They were leaving Water Seven at a leisurely pace. In fact, the city on the sea was still in sight, bobbing up and down behind the waves as though it were saying a final goodbye to its former resident. Said emigrant was leaning on the back end of the ship he built, watching his home, his friends, his brothers float away. Franky ran a mechanized hand through his lofty azure hair and smiled. He'd hardly been half a day with the Straw Hat Pirates and he already felt at home. It was easy to become accustomed to the Thousand Sunny considering it was his brainchild, but surprisingly, becoming comfortable with his new crew was even easier. It helped that they liked to drink as much as he did.

Speaking of drinking, he saw the crew's biggest boozehound descending the crow nest's stairs, sweat towel in hand. Franky was about to give him a friendly nod, but was distracted by a small splashing sound coming from the opposite side of the boat. He whipped around inquisitively, looking for a cause. Before he could even ask what had happened, the swordsman next to him threw down his rag and sprinted full speed to the bow. Zoro threw himself into the water and emerged about a minute later with a reeling pile of wet rubber. Franky helped pull the two aboard and ran around looking for the doctor. Zoro stood on deck, water dripping down from his boots and from the semi-conscious captain he held under his arm. Suddenly, he slammed Luffy down onto the deck.

"What the hell was that about?" He shouted, standing over the smaller boy menacingly. Luffy just looked up and grinned, giggling at how Zoro's hair fell when it was wet.

"The ointment was itchy and I wanted to wash it off! But the salt water stings and the ointment is still there…" He whined, throwing caution to the wind and scratching his sides feverishly.

"You're an idiot, you know that?" Zoro grunted, tiptoeing around the fact that Luffy easily could have died if he'd fallen in while his faithful first mate wasn't around.

"Heh…you're not much better." Luffy muttered, sitting up. The pair shared a knowing look before Zoro turned away. He was starting to think Luffy was doing this on purpose. He banished the thought, convinced his erratic leader didn't have the attention span to hold such intent. It was at this point the captain decided to show his gratitude by rocketing himself at Zoro's back and embracing him as they both tumbled into the side of the boat.

"Thank you, Zoro!" He yelled before straightening up and bouncing off to fish with Usopp, leaving his poor swordsman to reorient himself. At this point, Franky came charging back with a frantic Chopper struggling to keep up with him. Zoro managed to point in Luffy's last known direction and the reindeer physician took off. Franky, however, extended Zoro a hand so he could get back on his feet. The shipwright accepted a hard grunt as sufficient thanks. Before the agitated swordsman could walk away, he posed a question.

"Hey, Swordsman-bro! Luffy-bro is a Hammer, right? Shouldn't he be more careful?" He asked, scratching his head. Zoro turned his head back slightly.

"Go tell him that." He said, before walking to the nearest open space on deck to forfeit (relatively) human interaction for sleep. He closed his eyes and almost immediately fell dead asleep.

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_Zoro heard a loud smacking sound as something hit the water and, as usual, he reacted. He dove into the water, which was unusually warm. It was hard, however, too dark to see much of anything. He kicked his legs harshly, knowing he had to cover as much area as he could, with his visibility being worse than usual. _

_After two minutes, he was forced to resurface and get another breath of air. He saw a flashlight floating among some rubble next to his arm and he grabbed it, quickly returning to the sea in search of his drowning captain. As he swam further and further down into the now weakly illuminated depths, he could see the remains of a battered ship rising in the water at him like slow shrapnel. There was a chipped sword, a ripped Jolly Roger, a broken pair of glasses, a short sword, and a myriad of other waste. He pushed forward, spotting an outcrop of swaying ebony hair. _

_He reached his captain just as the poor boy's face was turning that sickly shade of "What part of get me out of the ocean don't you understand?" blue. Smirking in satisfaction, breathing a sigh of relief that Luffy would be just fine, like he always was, Zoro reached out a hand to wrestle his friend back to surface. _

_Much to his surprise, his hand went right through Luffy, as though he were an illusion. Panic festered in the pit of the swordsman's stomach as he more frantically tried to catch hold of his waning companion, but to no avail. It was all he could do to hold his breath in as he became more and more frustrated. Just as he himself began to feel faint, he saw an annoyingly familiar shock of blonde hair come shooting past him, grabbing his target, and darting to the surface. Irritated, but altogether relieved, Zoro followed suit, taking large gulps of beautiful, merciful air as he violently hit the surface. Once he was back on-board, he went to find his captain, not sure whether to make sure he was alright or to see why he wasn't able to touch him underwater. _

_Luffy sat amongst the rest of the crew regurgitating stale sea water onto the deck. Zoro walked over to stand by the wretching loon. After his fifth heave and another bout of coughing, the captain had enough strength to straighten up and survey his surroundings. He looked to his right, where his first mate was, and somehow, looked sad. It was then that Zoro noticed that Luffy's right arm was missing. He began to shout, trying to point attention to the injury. It wasn't bleeding, but the now seemingly frail boy curling into himself and held his arm as if he were in great agony. _

_Zoro moved to grab Chopper's shoulders, to point his attention to Luffy's need, but encountered the same inability to touch he'd experienced in the water. From behind, Nami passed through his body as though he wasn't even there. The swordsman, thrown completely off balance, somehow found his way overboard once more, but unable to move. He started to sink, deeper into the still pitch black depths, unable to catch his breath until…_

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*GASP* Zoro bolted upright, inhaling so deeply that he caught a passing fly in his windpipe. Sputtering weakly, he cleared his airways of insect remains and flopped back down, more exhausted from his nap than before. A shadow fell over his face as he regained his composure.

"Have a nightmare, little marimo?" Sanji mocked gleefully, grinning down on the still-agitated first mate. Luckily, Zoro had enough of his wits about him to counter condescension with crassness.

"Up yours, love-cook." He grunted, rolling over to escape the blonde annoyance.

"Whatever. Dinner's ready." The black-suited silhouette disappeared down the corridor leading to the kitchen. Zoro weighed embarrassment and hunger, eventually siding with the latter, and trudged to eat his fill. He sat down at the only available seat, directly opposite his already feasting captain. Seeing the communal food on the table depleting at an alarming rate, the swordsman grabbed for his meal. That went rather smoothly. Only once did he have to wrestle a meat morsel from the rubbery hands stretched from across the table.

Zoro ate quickly and in silence. The chaos swarming around him somehow allowed him a reprieve, no one bothering him. In the absence of activity, the gruff 19 year-old turned to quiet observation, watching as his stretchy compatriot filled his mouth beyond human limits with sea king meat.

During one particularly inhuman stretch, the gauze bandages, stiff from dried sea water, began to hear. Chopper, mid bite, panicked. He mumbled angry instructions between chews, going unheeded as usual. It was only after the table was cleared of food and Sanji refused to replenish the Captain's plate that the doctor was able to get his captain's attention. The kitchen had mostly cleared, save for a spaced-out Zoro, a cleaning Sanji, a whiny Luffy, and the concerned doctor. Just as the frantic reindeer was about to replace the tattered bandages, a shout came from the near the sink.

"Damn shitty knife rack!" the foul mouth cook shouted, holding his now bleeding hand. Somehow, in his attempts to become familiar with the new kitchen, he'd hurt himself. Chopper, prioritizing the freshly injured Sanji above his foolhardy rubber patient, tossed the bandages to Zoro and rushed to heal the cook. This was not the first time Zoro had been asked to assist with bandaging. Although he never took care in tending to his own dressings, he was surprisingly dutiful when asked to treat his crewmates. However, a sense of dread fell over him as he remembered every time he'd been asked to help with his captain began with a hellish ordeal. He could see this time, as he locked gazes with the childish pirate, that this time would be no different. A smirk flirted across Luffy's face before he took off, bandage fragments fluttering in his wake.

Zoro reluctantly sprinted after his target, claiming a decisive victory in a short three minutes. Tackling the younger boy near the men's quarters, the green-haired man dragged his squirming captive into the room. Once inside, Luffy stopped his struggle and started undressing. The swordsman was exhausted beyond the point of questioning his captain's sudden change in attitude, though the idea was unconsciously stored in his head for later. He caught his breath in the time it took Luffy to discard his clothes and pick off the remaining gauze.

Wordlessly, he began to spread thick, pungent ointment over the most severe wounds, and then carefully wound the medical bandaging over nearly all his captain's appendages. Intending to extend the (most likely short) life of these dressings, Zoro have extra space at the joints to make movement easier. The work was neither uncomfortable nor difficult, but the two boys couldn't precisely name their understanding. It was just something they did.

However, a remarkable change started when the older boy tried to apply gauze to the younger one's hips. Momentarily forgetting his established sensitivity, Luffy giggled a little bit as Zoro ran his fingers faintly across the area. Feeling slightly more playful now that his energy had returned, the swordsman skirted his calloused fingertips with more intent. The giggles escalated into outright laughter, until Zoro's tickling turned into circular rubs. This blissful changed elicited a more sensual hum from the younger boy.

Startled by the now aroused expression spreading across Luffy's innocent face, Zoro pulled away. The smaller boy pouted, unaware that the unintentionally erotic pleasure his first mate's fingertips brought him was a point of concern. Although mostly unobservant, Luffy could sense a change in the room. Zoro tossed the remaining bandages at the raven-haired boy, muttering about his job being finished. He left, confused as opposed to angry (though the nature of his stoicism make it hard to distinguish any emotion from anger). Luffy sat on the bed, cheeks flushed, marveling at the somewhat foreign reaction in his lower regions he observed from time to time. He went on his way, blissfully ignorant of the looks his (somehow innocent) erection gathered from his crew before he naturally calmed down.

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Thank you for reading! Hope you stick with me!


	2. Chapter 2: The Calm

******Okay, so I didn't post quite as fast as I wanted to, but hey, it's here. And it this chapter marks the start of NSFW. And now that the semester is over, I will have oodles of free time that I hope to spend continuing this story.**

**Please enjoy.**

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**Chapter Two: The Calm**

Luffy was troubled.

As much as the infamously inattentive captain could be, anyway.

Recently, the swordsman, his swordsman, had been spending more time alone (if that was at all possible). Though his behavior didn't come across as cause for concern, he'd been doing some serious thinking, a radical change from his usual "Never lose again" mantra. He tried frantically to deal with this issue the way he had all other previous non-combat related problem: through intense training. However, the resulting rise in frequency of his visits with Chopper prompted him to reconsider his coping skills.

Unfortunately, since his swords were polished within an inch of their lives and Zoro had no aptitude for knitting, he was unable to come up with a viable distraction, leaving him to face head-on the consequences of glimpsing a forbidden treasure.

His unrest had little to do with questions of sexuality, considering Zoro cared not for whom or what aroused him and made no distinction between genders. However, his strict attention to the chain of command pitted him directly against romantic feelings toward his commander. Somewhere in the back of his, he acknowledged the thrill of conquering a superior, although the pleasure was never before sexual. And taking power from Luffy was the exact opposite of his desire. But there was just something so wrong about discovering the sensual side of a ray of childish innocence.

Corrupting a pillar of strength, the only one Zoro believed in above himself.

The tickling incident certainly reminded Zoro of Luffy's vulnerability, but viewing his captain in a now-sexual light raised so many questions, the answers to which had catastrophic implications. Those fleeting touches were quickly becoming Zoro's biggest regrets in his otherwise regret-free life.

This thought process prompted a change in behavior only noticeable to his captain. Specifically, Luffy made it his business to bathe with each of his male crewmates (he'd tried with their female counterparts, but was preemptively assaulted by his cook). Not only did it provide him with the constant company he desired, but it also negated his recklessness. The last few nights, he'd bathed with Usopp, Sanji, and Chopper respectively. Franky had been warned of this Strawhat idiosyncrasy, but he'd yet to take part.

That left Zoro.

Normally, the gruff swordsman would relent wordlessly and go along with all of Luffy's bath time demands (which sadly, were not sexual in nature). It was this compliance that made Zoro more fun to bathe with than a rubber ducky. However, he'd recently refused to spend time suds-ing with his captain. This wasn't a reprieve that came easily for either of them. Luffy constantly whined about needing Zoro to scrub his back, but that line never worked.

"You're made of rubber. Washing your own back is one of the easiest things I've seen you do." He scoffed. These arguments would continue until another crewmember would get annoyed with the bickering and sacrifice themselves to end the conflict. However, it seemed this time around, Luffy would accept no substitution. He was insistent and Zoro, unsure of his ability to restrain his fourth sword, was caught between a rock and a hard place. His newfound enthusiasm for naked time with the younger boy was still alarming and the swordsman was determined to do his utmost to prevent any slip-ups. The obstinate man, sure of his responsibility, decided to abstain.

"Captain's orders."

'Dammit.' The now defeated swordsman cursed. It felt unnatural to defy his captain, and since Luffy was aware of this discomfort, he used this phrase as his ace in the hole. At least, he did when the puppy eyes didn't work. This instance was no exception.

Zoro relented, but he remained cautious. While Luffy splashed happily in the tub, the older boy faced away, towel placed loosely over his crotch. He proceeded to pour warm water over his head. He'd had to forgo hygiene for safety while avoiding bathing with his captain, so Zoro was extremely pleased that he could wash days of sweat from his body. Focusing on the cascade of water made it easier to avoid sneaking peaks at the naked bundle of joy behind him. It was almost like the continuous spray of water that made meditation a better experience, just with the added background chatter of a happy Luffy.

"Nah, Zoro." Luffy chided, arms draped over the sides of the tub. He waited for the swordsman to grunt in attention before asking his question. "Am I a good captain?"

That got Zoro to turn around.

"What are you on about now?" He scoffed. It was unnerving to hear the most obstinate, sure-of-his-ways man in the world questioning himself. Though, it was easy to see why. After losing Merry and almost losing Usopp, Luffy had kind of forgotten himself as a captain. At the time, without Zoro's harsh advice, it was likely Luffy would have cast aside his role as leader in a fit of childish anger. Though his stubbornness had always been a point of consistency that gave his crew something to believe in, the rubber boy was starting to wonder if he was getting in his own way. Of course, everything worked out for the best and Usopp returned to the crew bathed in tears and snot, but Luffy couldn't help but feel uneasy. He took his friends very seriously.

Zoro could see Luffy sinking back, regretting asking his first mate that question. It must have made him seem weak. Seeing the worry cross his captain's usually beaming face, Zoro's cold shoulder treatment faltered.

"Don't think too hard about it. You did the right thing." He paused for a moment, turning to face his captain, his friend in earnest. "I wouldn't sail under anyone else."

Luffy smiled, tension melting. He seemed to glow softly as he resumed splashing about in the tub. They continued bathing in silence for a few minutes, the captain content and the first mate embarrassed by his candor. And as usual, the younger boy was the one to break the calm.

"Zoro, join me!" he exclaimed, arms in the air, sending droplets of water across the steamy bathroom. Mostly unwilling, but feeling this was not the time to refuse, the stoic man relented and slid himself easily in the bathtub. Once he was situated opposite Luffy, Zoro grabbed a bar of soap and went to work on his arms.

He was happy this way. Albeit, a little uncomfortable. Arms and chest lathered in suds, he sunk under the water, holding himself under for a few serene moments before resurfacing. When he opened his eyes, he found Luffy had somehow erased the distance between them in his short dive. Zoro sputtered a little bit, crimson cheeks aggravated by testosterone and the warm water.

"Wash my back." Luffy commanded, turning around abruptly, leaving his bath time servant without a choice.

"Fine, whatever." Zoro sighed and picked up a wash rag and got to work, glad he had a built in excuse not to look at the object of his barely controlled desires. His relief was short-lived, as Luffy scooted backward, almost sitting in the older boy's lap. With each stroke, the younger boy's pliant rubber skin gained a brighter glow. The chatterbox kept blabbering on about something unimportant while Zoro worked. And ogled.

For as broad as puberty made Luffy's shoulders, they were still dwarfed by Zoro's comparatively hulking mass. His frame was on the small side, but his power made him agile instead of fragile. It was a physical luxury that Zoro was only now beginning to appreciate. Through the soapy washcloth barrier, he could feel the outline of Luffy's well toned muscles, feel their miniscule contractions and elongations when the boy fidgeted. Trying not to think too hard about that previous thought, Zoro's eyes flickered upward to the nape of Luffy's neck. Sopping wet hair clung to his neck and stray strands dripped at random intervals. Seeing water slide slowly down the strong curve, hang teasingly on his earlobes, and fall onto his hands almost made Zoro go insane.

To slow things down, the disciplined swordsman paused his actions and took a few deep breaths to get his head under control. Well, one of his heads. Although he'd done his best to quell any genital uprisings, there was nothing he could do about this one. And considering its size and throbbing, this was one hard-on he couldn't ignore. Especially since it was poking Luffy's lower back.

"Zoro, don't be lazy, keep going." Luffy whined before turning around to see why his back rub abruptly stopped. His eyes bugged out of his head and he started yelling frantically.

Poor Zoro was beyond mortified. He slammed his eyes closed and waited for the beginning of their end. He expected disgust, fear, disappointment, horror, hatred, anything. Well, anything except the hand that reached out and starting poking his erection. The unanticipated attention elicited a breathy moan from the older man.

"Whoa! I didn't know this could happen to other people! I thought mine did that because I ate that devil fruit!" Luffy gaped. Zoro slapped his hand away in shock while he continued to muse over this discovery. "It only happens to me once in a while, at random times. Or I'll wake up with it like that. But they usually go away on their own. Why does it happen?"

Zoro, somehow not surprised by his captain's sexual ignorance, strongly desired to drop a hard "I'll tell you when you're older." However, he figured if he was old enough to get a boner, Luffy was old enough to know why.

"All men get them."

"Ehhhh? Really?"

"Yeah. It happens when they get…excited." Zoro frowned, unsure how to tiptoe around such a (what was for him) humiliating topic.

"Huh?" Luffy asked, head cocked to the side in confusion. "But I get excited for every meal, but this only happens once in a while."

"When I say 'excited,' I mean…in a sexual way. Erm…Luffy, do you know what sex is?"

"Ah, it's naked hugging, right?"

"Yes…no…kind of? Look, Chopper can tell you more about this than I can. He's the doctor." Zoro said, jumping at the chance to push responsibility on the reindeer. Luffy seemed satisfied with this and stopped prodding verbally. But he didn't stop prodding physically. As his fingers pushed the rock hard member, Zoro let another grunt slip out. Luffy pulled back and looked apologetic.

"Sorry, did that hurt?"

"No, but don't do it anymore."

"Hmmm…if it doesn't hurt, why can't I do it? I like touching Zoro." He said, with a childlike innocence that sent both heat straight to the older boy's crotch and a shot of guilt down his spine.

"Because it feels good. But this is something you only do with your most important person." Zoro said gruffly. He didn't like it, but that sappy advice was the best he could do to stop this offbeat torture.

"It feels good?"

"You've never…touched yourself before?"

"Well, I did, but it tickled, so I stopped. They went away on their own." Luffy said, refraining from touching, but instead bringing his head unbearably close to Zoro's dick. A deep pink tint flavored his cheeks and his own member rose to life, almost as if it were perking its head up in curiosity. Luffy muttered something about it being unfair how his first mate's member was larger than his. Zoro was beyond help. He kept speaking, not really thinking about the words escaping his mouth.

"Ah, yeah. Well, it feels better when other people do it for you."

"Is that so?" Luffy hesitated for a moment before standing and tilting his hips in Zoro's direction. "I want to try."

"What? Luffy! No!" He protested, leaning away from the cock that was now mere inches from his face.

"Don't be selfish" Luffy said with a playful wiggle.

"No, I already said you should do this with your most important person."

"But you are my most important person."

Zoro cursed his abysmal luck. He was inwardly ecstatic to hear confirmation of his value to the captain, but he knew Luffy couldn't mean in a romantic way.

"I meant the person you love."

"I love Zoro! Doesn't Zoro love me too?" He asked. Luffy was always one for extremes, and this was no exception. It was sad, really, how oblivious he was to the mental havoc he was wreaking on his first mate. If Zoro were a lesser man, he would have started crying at the innocent cruelty of his captain's words. Defeated and on the precipice of sorrow, he gave in.

"Fine. But when you go for your talk with Chopper, you don't mention this, got it? You don't mention this to anyone." He growled, lifting his hand to wrap tenuously around Luffy's erection. The younger boy visibly tensed at the touch, but relaxed quickly when the hand began to move. Zoro pumped Luffy's throbbing cock, feeling it twitch. He stopped for a moment to rub his thumb over the tip, smearing the pearl of pre cum that had formed.

"Ah, Zoro was right. This is good."

With every new movement, Luffy's toes curled and unfurled in pleasure. He was overtaken by the sensation, small gasps quickly evolving into sharp breaths and louder moans. The raven haired teen threw his head back when Zoro's other hand moved to caress his balls, smoothing the wet pubic hair over the sensitive skin. He could feel something warm and fluid building in his lower stomach, and he felt pressure in his genitals. Luffy didn't know what it meant, but he trusted that his first mate knew what he was doing. It sure as hell felt like he knew what he was doing.

Suddenly, Zoro picked up pace, rotating his hand slightly with each pump. This change in both direction and speed pushed Luffy over the edge he hadn't realized he'd been teetering on. He groaned as he climaxed, fists balling so tightly his nails left crescent marks on his palms. His seed shot onto Zoro's unsuspecting face and slowly sputtered to a stop, coating the top of the swordsman's hand.

The older teen protested at the sudden finish, scrubbing his face and hands clean while muttering angrily under his breath. His own erection was straining and a deep red, brought to its limit by the sight of Luffy enjoying his first handjob. He stood up, toweling himself off while Luffy rubbered about somewhere on the floor, unable to move properly while he enjoyed the aftershocks of his orgasm. The swordsman threw on a pair of loose pants, which turned out not to be so loose in the front, and prepared to exit the bathroom. The momentarily weakened captain wanted to reciprocate, but he was far too weak to stop his first mate's retreat. Zoro paused before he closed the door behind him, giving his captain one last piece of advice for the night.

"Don't laze around for too long. The others might want to use the bath."

The door shut behind him with a soft click and Luffy was left to think about what happened. Well, thanks to his shortage on technical knowledge, his sentiments were more along the lines of 'I'm going to make Zoro do that a lot more.' After a few minutes, he was collected enough to wrap a towel around his waist and return to the men's quarters for a new set of clothes.

Zoro, on the other hand, skulked back up to the crow's nest, which was quickly becoming his only escape on the large, yet somehow cramped pirate ship. This time around, he didn't even attempt to distract himself with weight training. He needed release, badly. Settling on a couch which faced toward the sea, he pushed his pants down around his thighs and let his still-unbearably hard member spring up.

He pleasured himself, feeling a burst of sickly heat shoot through his cock when he remembered how Luffy's eyebrows pinched together during his climax. The young boy panted like a whiny dog when Zoro had played with his foreskin, nearly howling when his sensitive head was stroked. The swordsman squeezed his penis, feeling it ache and throb against his palm. His hand was sopping wet and each motion made a thick squelching sound as he came closer and closer to his end. His body started to tremble, feeling the familiar pleasure of masturbation and the unprecedented euphoria from watching his captain nearly faint from climaxing. A joy Zoro alone brought him.

Zoro shifted, coming to rest with his right leg spread sideways on the couch, exposing his manhood to the air. He picked up speed, thinking of all the wonderful possibilities. How good Luffy's smooth hands would feel wrapped tightly around his cock, how Luffy's eyes would look peering up at him while he held Zoro's meat in his mouth, how his body might open up and let the older teen fuck the younger one silly. In time with his last thought, his hips shot forward, thrusting into his hand harshly.

The swordsman's breath was becoming ragged and labored, even more so than was usual for self-service. Just before he lost himself, Zoro held his breath, feeling the pressure build in his temples at the same time his testicles clenched and he started to cum. He exhaled harshly, pumping with his fist as fast as he could. Once he was spent, his post-masturbation clean up was put on hold as all the higher level thoughts his now sated lust was holding back rushed forward.

There was no doubt that Roronoa Zoro crossed a line. There was no going back after what he started, but going any further was equally as troubling. It was beyond simple teaching. The semen in his hand proved that. He'd never wanted someone the way he wanted Luffy. He was no stranger to lust, but it was something he'd always been able to control.

He was trapped in uncertainty. Now, he saw the vulnerability of his captain. The worry, the fragility, the unintentional sensuality. And he couldn't stop seeing all of these things that were supposed to make a man weak. While Zoro knew he would never ignore an order from Luffy, he now questioned whether or not he was following out of respect or lust. The latter was worse than not following at all. Somehow, he felt dirty, unmanly. He wasn't used to the kind of social upheaval he couldn't solve with self sacrifice. He set to work on his weights anyway, feeling that some physical pain might at least start off his punishment.

~\( o.o )/~

By the same time the following day, Luffy was being, for a lack of a better word, educated about the birds and the bees. Chopper took great care in breaking all the technical terms down and including everything he thought was necessary to know about human introduction. As it turned out, his knowledge as a doctor meant he had his facts straight, but not much else. After a good hour of repetitive explanation, Luffy was certain he understood all about sex. Chopper was even kind enough to explain masturbation. But he faltered a little bit when the emotional aspect of intimacy was mentioned.

"Zoro said sex is only for the person you love the most. Does that mean you can't do it with anyone else?" He asked. Chopper frowned, thinking of a way to phrase his opinion about such a sensitive topic, which was hard because he couldn't stop imagining Zoro trying to give Luffy "the talk." He had to chuckle to himself a few times before answering Luffy's questions.

"Well, you can have sex with anyone, but remember, this is a very sacred thing. You really should save it for the person you fall in love with."

Satisfied with the explanations he'd been given, Luffy thanked the doctor cheerfully and bounded out of the office. Curiosity taken care of, he returned to the aquarium lounge to watch the catch of the day swim about. Today was a kind of shark-eel hybrid that darted around the enormous tank. Luffy liked to watch it pick fights with the overly aggressive octopus they'd caught the morning before. He entered the lounge to find it quite empty. Too excited to find a fellow fish admirer, he contented himself with watching the fish swim. He reminisced about his bittersweet memories of swimming in the ocean. The only feeling of liberty that rivaled the freedom he felt while cutting through the waves was perching himself on the bow of the ship. It was a freedom he missed sorely.

But, he figured that giving up what he loved most to piracy was worth what a life at sea had yielded. Especially for his crew.

Speaking of which, his two newest members, Franky and Robin, opened the lounge door and seated themselves across from Luffy. They greeted him, Franky showing Luffy a few of the aquarium's lighting features he'd added while Robin smiled gently at their excitement. While Luffy proceeded to fiddle with the gigantic tank, the other two enjoyed a hot beverage heated by a gadget located somewhere in Franky's torso. They chatted about this and that, eventually landing back on Franky's former home. Robin, testing the waters to see how much she could get away with teasing their new brother, prodded into his past.

"I'll bet you're going to miss those 'sisters' of yours more than your brothers." She said, flirtatiously stressing "sisters." Franky's brows knit together.

"Hey, what is that supposed to mean?" He asked, arms folded and head tilted to the side.

"I meant to imply something perverted."

"Well, if you say it like that," Franky beamed, somehow taking it as a compliment. "But hey, sis, you're a smart one. It wasn't like that, you know. We were just friends with benefits."

"Ara, ara." Robin mused, taking another sip from her mug. "At least you left on good terms, then. That kind of relationship always appealed to me. Friends making each other feel good with no strings attached. But it seems most cultures have a preference for romantic love."

The blue haired cyborg grunted in agreement. Since Robin was the one who started this line of inquiry, returning the favor seemed justified.

"What about you, Robin? Leave any broken hearts behind before joining the Straw Hats?"

The archaeologist let slip a tell-tale giggle and muttered "More than I can count on all of my hands."

The pair laughed at her wit before returning to the kitchen to clean their used mugs. They came back to the lounge a few minutes later, discussing the archaeological significance of the Sea Train for a good deal of the night.

They had no clue of the consequences their conversation held. Until the next night at dinner, Luffy asked Zoro to be his friend with benefits.

* * *

How am I doing?


End file.
